Since the 1970s, exploration geophysicists have been coming up with an increasing number of applications in the fields of civil and environmental engineering and hydrogeology.

Today, an extensive use of geophysics for engineering and environmental applications in Finland is supported by education and research conducted by several universities and research organizations. With players such as the Geological Survey of Finland, Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) and the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT, Espoo's Otaniemi can be described as a key concentration of Finnish geosciences. It is also a suitable setting for "Near Surface 2006", the 12th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics next autumn.

Focus on civil and environmental engineering

Near Surface 2006 is expected to attract approximately 300 geoscientists, engineers and geophysicists to the Dipoli Congress Centre in Otaniemi between 4 and 6 September, 2006, says Chairman of the Scientific Committee, HUT Professor Markku Peltoniemi.

"The aim of the conference is to discuss and promote a better understanding of methodologies for near surface geophysical applications. An integral part of the meeting will be a commercial exhibition of equipment and accompanying field demonstrations," Peltoniemi explains.

He predicts that most presentations will fall into one of two application categories: civil engineering and environmental engineering. In these fields, near surface methods from ground penetrating radar to electrical and electromagnetic methods are utilized to assess uppermost ground layers for possible pollution and other hazards or their suitability for building purposes.

Finland pioneers nuclear waste disposal

The highlight of the conference's technical programme will be a field trip to the Olkiluoto nuclear plant on the west coast of Finland to see a presentation on Finland's radioactive waste management programme.

Olkiluoto began the geological disposal of low-level radioactive waste on-site in 1992. In 2001, Finland became the first country to approve plans for a geologic repository. Finland has studied nuclear waste disposal in crystalline rock for more than twenty years, and the outcome of the studies has been a recommendation for the construction of a single, deep geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

"The Finnish programme has advanced further than any other in the world, so it will certainly be of interest to the conference delegates," Peltoniemi says.

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